“What we’re tying it to is the three Ps — portable, powerful and precise,” says Patrick Curry, director of product development for Jet Tools. “We decided to create a bench-top line of products that would do three things. It would appeal to the job-site guy, but also appeal to homeowners that want to do DIY-type work and then the entry level woodworker. We have all these stationary products and more products tailored to the high-end woodworker, and we’re missing the entry level woodworker, homeowner or job-site guy. Our strategy is to go after the complete shop with these type of tools.

“We’re trying to say you can actually, for around $2,000, have a complete shop — one of the miter saws, the band saw, the drill press, the job-site table saw, one of the jointer/planers, and one of the dust collection items.”

Perhaps no one enjoyed STAFDA more than Joerg Zellerhoff, DeWalt product manager for portable woodworking. Zellerhoff was in Denver demonstrating DeWalt’s corded and cordless TrackSaw, a 12-lb., 6-1/2" saw, similar to a circular saw, which guides down an anti-slip aluminum track to deliver a perfectly straight and splinter-free cut. Additional tracks fit together to increase the track length and cutting capability. The tool is designed specifically for job-site use, providing table saw precision, panel saw capacity and hand saw portability.

“Instead of taking your material to the saw, now you’re taking the saw to the material, and on the job that normally requires two people,” says Zellerhoff. “Now you can cut a big panel, cut a door — it’s a one-man job. So some people call it a table saw in my hand, and some other people call it the do-it-myself saw.”

“Most people will get the corded saw because of price point. The cordless offers you additional versatility because of portability. If you’re hooking up dust collection to this saw, the cordless doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. So the cordless makes sense to a lot of people who work outside where they don’t have the power saws available. Those could be high-end deck building, somebody building a dock, or someone out working on a boat.”

The TrackSaw has a 6-1/2" blade and a 20 mm arbor size. The corded version with 59" track is priced at $499; the 28-volt lithium-ion battery-operated model is priced at $899. Longer tracks are available.

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Bossmate Tools of Chattanooga, Tenn., touted its work stations as the simplest and most useful ever designed. The company manufactures the Bossmate, Mightymate, Handymate, combination kits, board supports, roller supports and a shelving unit.

“Our most popular unit is the Bossmate combo kit and the reason is because it’s our most versatile unit,” says Claytor Thompson, spokesman for Bossmate. “It comes with a roller support unit and board supports as well as the traditional Bossmate table. Basically for the contractor or woodworker, it enables them to do a number of different tasks. It turns the table into a precision chop-saw table; you can put a table saw on it and adjust your roller support height to match it. It just makes it a multi-functional unit.”

The work stations are constructed of 14- and 16-gauge carbon steel, robotically welded, have a lifetime warranty, and are extremely strong and durable. The Bossmate has a load capacity of 600 lbs., and Thompson says people work off the top of them for jobs such as lower level siding-type work.